Zhang Yihao is about to retire from GE Healthcare, passing the baton to Song Weiqun, a former executive of Johnson & Johnson. Song Weiqun is an erudite and respected leader with decades of industry experience.

February 27, 2025, Chicago-- GE Healthcare (NASDAQ: GEHC), dedicated to becoming a leading global provider of medical solutions, announced today,GE Healthcare China President and CEO Zhang Yihao to Retire on July 1, 2025. Song Weiqun, with over 20 years of experience at Johnson & Johnson, to Join the Company on April 1, 2025, and officially assume the position on July 1.

Zhang Yihao's decision to retire is a personal choice made after careful consideration. His well-planned retirement arrangement has given GE Healthcare ample time to strategically search for and complete the selection of his successor. Song Weiqun, an outstanding leader, will leverage his extensive industry experience and professional background to further advance the company’s strategic layout in China.

Since joining the company in 2019, Zhang Yihao has been fully responsible for the strategy formulation, implementation, and operations of GE Healthcare in the Chinese market to achieve GE Healthcare's deep cultivation and long-term development in China. He led his team to redefine the China strategy of "comprehensive localization, boundaryless innovation, and win-win cooperation," laying a solid foundation for the company’s long-term development in China. Notably, the concept of comprehensive localization that he developed and promoted has guided the transformation of the entire industry and helped the company move steadily forward in a rapidly changing market environment. Over the past five years, GE Healthcare has doubled its R&D investment in China, expanded production in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuxi, and Tianjin, and established two new manufacturing bases in Chengdu and Shenzhen.

Zhang Yihao

"Yihao Zhang is an extremely humble, energetic, and people-oriented leader who consistently embodies our company’s culture, strategy, and mission, making a profoundly positive impact on both colleagues and the industry," said Peter Arduini, Global President and CEO of GE Healthcare. "I sincerely thank him for his years of effort and contributions in establishing GE Healthcare as an innovation leader in the China market. I wish him a fulfilling retirement. Looking ahead, I am confident that Willson Song's excellent reputation in the industry, deep market insights, strong relationships with key stakeholders, and thorough understanding of customer needs will enhance our competitiveness in the China market, drive business growth, and contribute to the future of healthcare."

Before joining GE Healthcare, Song Weiqun served as the Global Senior Vice President of Johnson & Johnson and the Chairman of Johnson & Johnson China, leading the Johnson & Johnson China President’s Council to advance the innovation journey and synergistic development of the company's two major business sectors—medical technology and innovative pharmaceuticals—in China. Since joining Johnson & Johnson in 2003, Song has held several key positions, accumulating extensive industry experience.

Song Weiqun

Song Weiqun is a highly respected leader and opinion leader in the Chinese industry. He holds important social positions such as Vice President of the China Association for Medical Devices Industry, Vice President of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, and Vice President of the Shanghai Entrepreneurs Association. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to promoting China's economic development and the growth of the healthcare industry, Song Weiqun has received numerous significant awards and honors from both the government and the industry. Song Weiqun graduated from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at Peking University, later obtaining a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, as well as an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Song Weiqun will be based in Shanghai. In the coming months, Zhang Yihao and Song Weiqun will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition and handover, promoting the strategic development of Johnson & Johnson's business in China.

It is worth mentioning that Song Weiqun, the newly appointed head of GE Healthcare China, was previously the first chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s China division to rise from within the local market in China, and he has a deep understanding of the Chinese market and customer base. GE Healthcare will continue to focus on precision diagnosis and treatment of major diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders in 2025, which highly aligns with Song Weiqun’s experience in promoting "integrated diagnosis and treatment" at Johnson & Johnson. So, under Song Weiqun's leadership, what kind of development will GE Healthcare see in the future? We will continue to follow and report.

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